Saturday, April 25, 2015

My Return To Blogging and Secret Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Hi! Remember me?! I've been away for some time. It wasn't planned, I just got burnt out. I worked so hard on the cookbook and was making and photographing 2-3 recipes a day. Once it was all done, it was a huge relief but I really didn't want to do it anymore and that meant blogging was put on hold. That also meant that I didn't pick up my camera for a long time either. I am still baking and trying new recipes and am taking pictures with my iphone to share on Instagram (monica_h30) and Facebook. It's easier and faster and much less pressure and I get to post daily pics of my growing curly haired boy!

Christmas 2014

I've been getting emails and comments asking when I'm returning and posting a new recipe, so here I am! I am so thankful for you guys and your support. I'm feeling motivated and I'm learning to use my camera once again (I sort of forgot how to use it and felt lost and confused when I picked it up...which also led to me not wanting to take pictures of food or anything else, for that matter). I took pictures of Hayden's 3rd birthday in September and was disappointed with how they turned out. The lighting was off and things were out of focus but I think I'm getting the hang of it again and I'm feeling inspired to try new recipes....which is kind of thrilling.

These cookies were my "practice cookies". I took so many pictures of them, relearning the camera as I went. Some were too dark, some were over exposed and many were blurry and out of focus. But in the end, I think this is what I needed to do. I just needed to sit and shoot until it felt comfortable again. Thus I bring you, hard boiled egg chocolate chip cookies.

I know what you're thinking and you're probably making faces at your screen right now but trust me on this. This was a way to use up some of the leftover boiled eggs I had from Easter. It's a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe but instead of raw eggs, you use finely chopped cooked eggs. I chopped the eggs, then I used a pastry cutter to chop them up even finer. You can see the bits of egg in the raw dough but once it's cooked they kind of melt away into the cookie. In the end you're left with a buttery, slightly chewy cookie, reminiscent to oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. We all really liked these and they seemed to stay fresher than most other recipes. I didn't tell hubby what was in these until after he ate them but it didn't make any difference. We all loved them!

These look much different than the cookies from Cookies and Cups. Her cookies were fluffy and thick while mine were thin. I made one batch on a Silpat mat and they spread into each other and were super thin. The other batch I baked on an unlined metal sheet pan and I preferred them much more. They were still thin but they looked better. The edges crisp and the center chewy. Also I baked them a little longer, I'm not a big fan of underbaked cookies. Bake them however you like, but definitely give this unique recipe a try!

24 comments:

Welcome back Monica! I understand burn out well. Have not been posting much and just doing it when I enjoy it. The cookies look wonderful and your little boy is growing up so fast!!!! Glad you are back!

Believe me. I do understand the blogger burned out syndrome all too well. People don't realize how much time and effort we put into each blog post. Ever since Foodbuzz dumped so many people, my enthusiasm started to fizzle (maybe I just lost confidence in my abilities), and I began to feel as though I couldn't compete with the big guys. I remember, well, when you and I bought the same camera-- and how we were trying to figure it out in San Francisco. Those are all great memories, I will never forget. I have your cookbook, and have bookmarked several recipes. I need to get my mojo back, because it is the blogger community that I love most about my humble little blog. Welcome back!

I agree with you. Since Foodbuzz went away it hasn't been the same. I felt like we were part of a community. Oh well, there will ways be change we just have to adapt and find out own ways. And we'll always have San Francisco! ❤️

Bless your heart! I was just thinking yesterday how much I missed getting your posts in my in box. But believe me I get every ounce of what you are saying!! Blogging should feel fun and not FORCED otherwise it really is NO fun! We support you in what ever and how ever frequent you post Sweetie Pie! xo ~avril :-)

Glad you are back to blogging, and good luck with your cookbook. Now about the cookies, the original version is on Cookie Madness, so maybe if you use that version you'll get thicker, fluffier cookies. I've made these a bunch of times since originally developing the recipe and they're always on the thick side. Here's the original Cookie Madness version. http://www.cookiemadness.net/2011/04/hard-boiled-egg-cookies/

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Welcome To My Blog

My name is Monica and I'm a stay at home mom living in central Texas. I like to cook, but baking is my passion. I am an (obsessive) collector of cake stands, cookbooks and bakeware. I make lots of yummy treats and often share my sweet creations with friends, family and anyone else who is willing to be my guinea pig. I have lots of recipes in the archives so I hope you'll stick around for awhile!

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